UglyRipe cleared to ship year round outside Florida
UglyRipe cleared to ship year round outside Florida
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a ruling that clears the way for UglyRipe tomatoes to be shipped outside Florida, superceding standards set forth in the Florida Tomato Marketing Order and enforced by the Florida Tomato Committee.
The new USDA rule, published Jan. 17 in the Federal Register, amends the Florida Tomato Marketing Order to exempt the UglyRipe from the shape portion of the USDA grade standards as long as the UglyRipe is grown, packed and distributed under USDA's Identity Preservation Program, which uses the unique genetic fingerprint of a produce variety to assure that it is in fact the product claimed by its grower. The UglyRipe will still have to meet all other grade standards imposed under the marketing order.
The tomato's developer, Joe Procacci, chief executive officer of Procacci Bros. Sales Corp. in Philadelphia, had been at odds with the FTC, a group of growers sanctioned by federal law. The FTC is empowered to determine all size and shape standards for tomatoes entering the U.S. market from mid- October to mid-June.
For the last three years, the FTC has found that the UglyRipe does not meet its rigorous standards, which are based on size and shape but not taste. The FTC rejection meant that the tomatoes were prohibited for sale outside of the Florida growing region during the winter months.
The UglyRipe, which is available both conventionally and organically, took over 20 years and more than $3 million in research funding by Procacci Bros. to develop. The brand is marketed by Santa Sweets, a Plant City, FL, company owned by Procacci Bros.
"Thanks to the USDA, consumers can now have the mid-summer goodness of tomato season all year round," Mr. Procacci said in a statement. "It's taken me 59 years in the tomato business to develop and market the UglyRipe tomato from Santa Sweets. The UglyRipe gets fan mail. There's no other way to put it."
For three years beginning in 1999, the FTC exempted the UglyRipe from the standards of Florida round tomatoes and allowed the heirloom variety to be shipped outside the state. But during the 2003-04 season, the FTC refused to allow the product to be sold outside Florida, claiming the UglyRipe was too misshapen and would damage the reputation of the Florida marketplace.
Last year, USDA proposed a rule change to grant a partial exemption to the minimum grade requirements for the UglyRipe tomato, and in September it published the public comments regarding the proposed change.
The new USDA rule, published Jan. 17 in the Federal Register, amends the Florida Tomato Marketing Order to exempt the UglyRipe from the shape portion of the USDA grade standards as long as the UglyRipe is grown, packed and distributed under USDA's Identity Preservation Program, which uses the unique genetic fingerprint of a produce variety to assure that it is in fact the product claimed by its grower. The UglyRipe will still have to meet all other grade standards imposed under the marketing order.
The tomato's developer, Joe Procacci, chief executive officer of Procacci Bros. Sales Corp. in Philadelphia, had been at odds with the FTC, a group of growers sanctioned by federal law. The FTC is empowered to determine all size and shape standards for tomatoes entering the U.S. market from mid- October to mid-June.
For the last three years, the FTC has found that the UglyRipe does not meet its rigorous standards, which are based on size and shape but not taste. The FTC rejection meant that the tomatoes were prohibited for sale outside of the Florida growing region during the winter months.
The UglyRipe, which is available both conventionally and organically, took over 20 years and more than $3 million in research funding by Procacci Bros. to develop. The brand is marketed by Santa Sweets, a Plant City, FL, company owned by Procacci Bros.
"Thanks to the USDA, consumers can now have the mid-summer goodness of tomato season all year round," Mr. Procacci said in a statement. "It's taken me 59 years in the tomato business to develop and market the UglyRipe tomato from Santa Sweets. The UglyRipe gets fan mail. There's no other way to put it."
For three years beginning in 1999, the FTC exempted the UglyRipe from the standards of Florida round tomatoes and allowed the heirloom variety to be shipped outside the state. But during the 2003-04 season, the FTC refused to allow the product to be sold outside Florida, claiming the UglyRipe was too misshapen and would damage the reputation of the Florida marketplace.
Last year, USDA proposed a rule change to grant a partial exemption to the minimum grade requirements for the UglyRipe tomato, and in September it published the public comments regarding the proposed change.
